Stargate: Phoenix ~ Tabletop RPG by Wyvern Gaming

[Falcon Horus]

Twitter and their test forums are closed to testers only.

There was a call for those a while back. I think they were going to start the kickstarter-thingy at the start of February.

[Platschu]

Insolence.

This canon thingnis interesting. Since there is no official live action continuation from MGM, then every novel, comic and this new RPG should be considered as canon? It is a bit wild, but as long as the lore won't get controversial I could live with it.

[Platschu]

Any news? Have you advertised the Stargate : Phoenix on the twitterstorm yesterday?

[Falcon Horus]

Any news? Have you advertised the Stargate : Phoenix on the twitterstorm yesterday?

So far nothing...

Though, I think they said they'd kick off their kickstarter campaign in February 2020 so maybe next week we'll hear more.

[Platschu]

This event would have been a great opportunity to show themselves as I am sure lots of fans have never heard about this new SG project.

[Falcon Horus]

Yeah, it would have been but I think the European timing was not ideal for US-folks (and vice-versa).

[Platschu]

https://www.gateworld.net/news/2020/...tabletop-game/

[Falcon Horus]

Nothing on the kickstarter...

And to be fair, while it may look interesting enough... I fear for its longevity.

[NickEast]

With every new bit of information being revealed, my fear keeps building as it seems they're "pushing" their own story forward, rather than making an RPG about Stargate as a whole like pretty much any other RPG based on an existing IP. Don't get me wrong, "Stargate Phoenix" seems like an interesting setting, but IMO it should be a separate campaign setting and not so ingrained in the RPG itself. I for one will certainly create my own story.

For example, Star Trek Adventures has its own default setting called the "Shackleton Expanse", based around a living campaign where players and GMs can influence the setting together. But the RPG itself makes no assumption as to what kind of game people should play, except for the player characters being members of the Federation (or Starfleet specifically). Even the core rulebook contains tons of information to play games set in any era, from Enterprise to Voyager.

For Stargate, I would prefer the core rulebook to contain the core information about the Stargate universe, which includes SGA and SGU, such as info about the major species (Asgard, Jaffa, Goa'uld, Ori, Wraith, Replicators) as they appeared most prominently (similar to Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, and Borg in Star Trek Adventures), as well as info about the SGC, Atlantis, Destiny, the stargates, technology, ships, etc.. Enough information to allow players and GMs to start playing in the Stargate universe without any assumption as to the setting (at least from early SG-1 to post SGU). And then use supplements to zoom into different topics, like the two main galaxies and their respective inhabitants, or more detail about the major (and minor) species, technology, ships, etc. Right now though, it seems they remain fixed on season 6 of SG-1 and then a new base different from the SGC.

Of course, this is just based on limited information, I'll be waiting for the Kickstarter and answers to any questions I might be asking during that to make a final judgment. Only then will I truly decide whether or not to back it (also because I don't have much to spend at this time, so it needs to be really good to convince me).

On top of that, I've begun to really love Star Trek Adventures and the system it uses (called "2d20", created by Modiphius), and now I find that system to be a better fit for Stargate than D&D 5e. When I start my own Stargate game, I might even adapt that system for personal use.

[Platschu]

I believe Brad has stated that they have licensed SG-1, so I am guessing the Atlantis or Universe or the Ori can come only as expansions, but they won't be mentioned in the basic rule book. Even the Replicators won't be here as they have arrived to the Milky Way only in season 8.

agree with your comment. The rulebook should focus literally on the setting. Maybe they will make a campaign (like an own story), but I believe Brad has mentioned that they want to convert episodes into missions too, where the team can replay an official episode.

I still believe the game should involve SGC (and Earth) based characters. Lots of players will be disappointed without them.

I would also rename the Aturens to Nymphs, so it would give a secondary mythological background as what if they have been on Earth before etc. Some new mytology based races wouldn't hurt either but that can be done by the imagination of the gate master.

I also would like to see later some season guides what the AEG has started. I loved the little mini fan fictions regarding season 1, 2 and the unpublished 3 as they have given lots of extra informations which could help to tell a story (like smaller Goa'uld Systemlords, naming the locations and the races etc.). So if they want to spawn episode related missions then maybe they should publish such season books as well. Or even some events from SG novels or the Stargate : Infinity could show up to merge finally the little pieces of the franchise. But a good game master can find out such stories anyway.

[Falcon Horus]

I don't quite follow -- I'm a RPG n00b (or dummie, whichever you prefer) so bare with me.

I was under the impression that games were stories made up by the players themselves, or the "gate masters", but from what I can understand, this game would force (I don't know how to say it differently, even though 'force' is a bit strong here) players to follow certain rules in the game.

Correct?

But from what you two say, you would like to be able to make up your own rules and game play, without having to stay within the confinements of the gameplay laid out to you by WG?

Correct?

But wouldn't you be able to do that? Or is something in the online manner perhaps stopping players from doing that?

Reminder: RPG n00b/dummie here

[Platschu]

There must be some rules because then everybody would play a perfect character. So if you choose your race that can give different bonus. Like you can't compare the strength of an Unas with a skinny Aturen. But when we talk about mental skills then our friendly Unas won't heal anyone either. So the rules are needed to setup the limitations of a character. Such basic informations can make your character unique: race, class (=profession), skills, birth planet, learned individual talents, background story, achieved experience or level etc. So we don't want the same Unas to travel together as a team as we don't want clones. But maybe one of them is good at fire weapons, the second used to be a Goa'uld host, the third can swim, the forth can communicate better. Then whatever the team combination will be the GM tell you a story where everyone should react what his or her character iw capable. While the GM will play all the NPCs, place traps and monsters, so he will try to make the adventure a bit more believable, more challenging experience. But the game is written together as the GM and players play together in the situation. Obviously it needs lots of imagination, bur RPGs were really popular before the computer era.

[NickEast]

I believe Brad has stated that they have licensed SG-1, so I am guessing the Atlantis or Universe or the Ori can come only as expansions, but they won't be mentioned in the basic rule book. Even the Replicators won't be here as they have arrived to the Milky Way only in season 8.

agree with your comment. The rulebook should focus literally on the setting. Maybe they will make a campaign (like an own story), but I believe Brad has mentioned that they want to convert episodes into missions too, where the team can replay an official episode.

I still believe the game should involve SGC (and Earth) based characters. Lots of players will be disappointed without them.

I would also rename the Aturens to Nymphs, so it would give a secondary mythological background as what if they have been on Earth before etc. Some new mytology based races wouldn't hurt either but that can be done by the imagination of the gate master.

I also would like to see later some season guides what the AEG has started. I loved the little mini fan fictions regarding season 1, 2 and the unpublished 3 as they have given lots of extra informations which could help to tell a story (like smaller Goa'uld Systemlords, naming the locations and the races etc.). So if they want to spawn episode related missions then maybe they should publish such season books as well. Or even some events from SG novels or the Stargate : Infinity could show up to merge finally the little pieces of the franchise. But a good game master can find out such stories anyway.

Don't know if they licensed SG-1 specifically. Would be kind of weird, because "Stargate" is the IP of which SG-1, SGA, and SGU are a part of. If so, that would be quite awkward, especially since that would mean they'd need to "license" SGA and SGU separately if they wanted to do supplements for those shows. On top of that, isn't it called "Stargate [the] Roleplaying Game" instead of "Stargate SG-1 [the] Roleplaying Game" in all official material?

I don't quite follow -- I'm a RPG n00b (or dummie, whichever you prefer) so bare with me.

I was under the impression that games were stories made up by the players themselves, or the "gate masters", but from what I can understand, this game would force (I don't know how to say it differently, even though 'force' is a bit strong here) players to follow certain rules in the game.

Correct?

But from what you two say, you would like to be able to make up your own rules and game play, without having to stay within the confinements of the gameplay laid out to you by WG?

Correct?

But wouldn't you be able to do that? Or is something in the online manner perhaps stopping players from doing that?

Reminder: RPG n00b/dummie here

Partly correct. An RPG game (also referred to in some cases as a "system") describes the rules and mechanics that you use to play the game. Some games have a specific setting (as in "world" or "universe"), or a set of overlapping settings (Stargate, Star Trek Adventures (STA), Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons), while others are "universal" in that they allow you to build your own world (Fate, Savage Worlds, GURPS). But typically they do not include a specific plot (typically what I mean is that the "story" is what is created by actually playing, a "plot" is what the GM or a pre-written adventure provides to "drive" the story).

Most setting-based games like STA, D&D, Pathfinder, etc. have "adventure modules" or "pre-written adventures" for players/GMs if they can't or don't want to create their own campaigns/plots. In some cases, such as STA, they also include a "living campaign" where the designers release pre-written adventures for others to play, and GMs can then submit their "Actual Play reports" so the actions of players affect the overall campaign (world), aka the "living" part.

But the (core) rulebooks themselves generally don't make assumptions about the story or plot. They provide the rules and mechanics to play the game, and may offer inspiration or "seeds" for GMs to set up a game (usually as part of the "Game Master Guide" or similar that explains how to run the game). Separate books, or downloadable PDFs, provide the plot content. And typically, due to how RPGs work, GMs are also free to "homebrew" (i.e. customize) their own rules.

So to end, the rulebooks provide the rules and mechanics, but usually not a specific plot or setting other than the overall world; for example, the Stargate universe, as opposed to specifically "Stargate Phoenix", or the Star Trek universe, as opposed to specifically Deep Space 9, or "The Forgotten Realms" as one of the settings for Dungeons & Dragons, as opposed to just one country or city.

From what I can read about the Stargate RPG, it seems they design the rules and mechanics around a specific setting, rather than the Stargate universe as a whole. This from the fact that they (originally) said they wouldn't include the "Tau'ri" as a playable species, and from the interviews where they say that "Stargate Phoenix" is the "home base" for the players.

Then there's this bit from the GW interview: “Working on Stargate, we’re not just telling a Stargate story,” Kennedy said. “We want to help you tell your Stargate story, and really make you feel like, yes, you are a member of one of the Phoenix teams — traveling the galaxy, fighting against the Goa’uld.”

Okay, so how is "making us feel like we are a member of Stargate Phoenix" helping us tell our story? It's a contradictory statement. And this is from someone who also wrote for Star Trek Adventures, a game that I absolutely love and (as an aside) uses a system I feel is much more suitable for Stargate.

[Falcon Horus]

Thank you for explaining. Both of you.

Much appreciated.

Nick, can't seem to give you green so I hereby grant you some virtual GREEN!!

[Platschu]

Thanks for the green, FH! Technically every novel, a theatre play, a movie or or an episode script are also "RPGs" as the writers play with all the known characters. And that is how you write a book that you imagine a main plot, then some main characters, but then you have to let the readers discover the small character and lore details why do they react this way or that way in a situation. The old RPGs were strictly paper based and they were built more on imagination in the 80s. I have never played a tabletop RPG, so I am guessing it is for visualization where are you standing in the battle (for example if an archer can fire an arrow or a magician casts an area spell then who will be effected). Then I had this Figting Fantasy books where were 400 chapters and it has given some interactive decisions. Then the computer games have arrived. And it is different when you play as a single player or a multi player or a massive multiplayer. Nowadays some of the RPGS have got such detailed lores that after that every "traditional" tv show can seem to be boring. That is what I was talking a few pages ago that what was working in the 90s that won't work in the 20s as the audience needs more and more visual impression to be convinced to follow a tv show. Probably our expectations have gone up so quickly.I believe role playin is part of our nature that is how children prepare themselves for life. But then the normal life was too boring, so they wanted to hear tales about heroes, gods, demigods and this storytelling needs greatly influcenced many many advanced culture on Earth. And this has leaded to books and movies as people needed to be entertained in every historical era.

But back to the SG. It will be interesting how can they make a Tok'Ra race as a playable character, because even the host and the symbiote should be treated as an individual "character". So if all Tok'Ra are descendant of Egeria and they are 1000-2000 years old then they must have so much experience (even if they have changed host in every 300-400 years without the active use of sarcophagus) that it can not be really a fair play with any other classes / races. I mean they could be easily lev 10+. And even the host could have been an adventurer or something specially trained person, so will the Tok'Ra work as a dual class character? Maybe they should consider them as NPCs only.

Just because you are a Phoenix team member, you can still make exploration, spying, sabotaging so any adventure. It is not necessary that you have to be in the frontline against any Goa'uld.

But it is also essential in the Stargate lore who has got knowledge about the gate addresses. Will the Nox reveal some cloaked / hidden worlds? Or will the SGC share all the gate Goa'uld and the Ancient addresses with them? Abydos has been destroyed until season 7, so nobody can go back to study the inaccurate map room anyway. I am sure the Tok'Ra has also visited many worlds, but it doesn't mean that they will have all the gate addresses.